Vets to the Valley Initiative

Background

The number of new scientists and engineers graduating from U.S. universities is significantly declining at at time when the number of scientists and engineers in other countries, who compete with the U.S. economically, is increasing. It may take at least a generation to implement the needed educational changes to increase the supply of scientists and engineers to meet future U.S. demand, all while the U.S. continues to lose its competitive advantage in the process.

At the same time, the cost of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan has placed budgetary stress on the Department of Defense (DoD). To make ends meet, the DoD is going through a reduction in force. The Air Force alone plans to reduce staffing by thousands in the next five years including officers, Warrant Officers (WOs) and Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs), veterans, civilians, and support contractors. The Army and Navy are planning similar, albeit smaller, reductions in their forces as well. 

The Potential for a Win/Win Solution
The coinciding of the current shortage of scientists and engineers in the U.S. and the flux of technically-trained departing servicemen out of the military offers an important opportunity for the Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC).  Due to their maturity, technical training, and hands-on experiences, these individuals separating from the military in the next five years provide an excellent near-term source of potential engineers for the country. These highly skilled individuals can help fill the gap to keep the nation technically competitive while at the same time, they will be given the opportunity to increase their family’s financial security. This is an important win/win situation for our region, the nation, and for these honorable individuals. Given their service of our country and extensive technical on-the-job experience, these indivduals provide an impressive pool of candidates for the federal agencies and private sector companies interested in hiring Co-Op or part-time employees, as they provide much more knowledge and professional maturity than traditional Co-Ops from universities.

The TVC leaders recognized this important opportunity and created the “Vets to the Valley” Initiative which consists of the “America’s Veterans to Tennessee Engineers” program and the Non-Traditional Emerging Workforce in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (NEW-STEM) program. 

Summary of NEW-STEM Program
An initiative of the TVC, NEW-STEM links WOs (Ranks W1-W5) and NCOs (Ranks E5-E9) leaving military service with the opportunity to pursue an engineering degree and job openings with federal agencies and the private sector in the North Alabama area.

The NEW-STEM staff works with the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and the Department of Labor's (DoL) Transition Office on the candidate recruitment process through numerous outlets. The NEW-STEM selection committee then chooses candidates based on specific qualifications set by the participating organizations and their customer requirements. Selected participants who wish to pursue a degree in a STEM discipline, in particular an engineering field of study, are interviewed by the participating organizations and processed for admissions to the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville), the program's primary academic mechanism. Once they have been hired by a participating organization and admitted to UAHuntsville, they will begin the university's orientation where they will take a math placement test. While attending UAHuntsville in support of their degree, the selected individuals participate in a paid Co-Op program or part-time employment offered by one of the participating organizations. After graduation, the participants are given priority consideration for a full-time position with the organization they were originally hired as a Co-Op.

The current participating organizations are Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Northrop Grumman, Intuitive Research and Technology, Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin.

The pilot program began in August 2009 with six NCOs enrolled in their first semester of courses and participating as Co-Ops with MDA and Northrop Grumman. The program has a total of 5 positions open for the Spring 2010 semester, where the participating organizations are currently selecting the individuals for interviews.

Applications for the Fall 2010 semester are accepted between November 9th and April 2nd. Candidates must be separated or retired by July 31, 2010, to be considered for the Fall 2010 selection.

Benefits to Federal Agencies and Private Sector Companies:
- Access to experienced, skilled workers with active security clearances
- Recruiting support through military transition offices that work with military 
  personnel leaving the service
- Opportunity to grow their pool of experienced engineers from a non-traditional 
  population, thus increasing the overall number of scientists and engineers in the region
- A contractual relationship and service agreement with participants who accept the
  terms of the NEW-STEM program

What Federal Agencies and Private Sector Companies Would Commit:
- A part-time position or shared job to accommodate the NEW-STEM participant while 
  he/she completes the accelerated STEM degree program
- A wage or salary consistent with that of other employees with similar experience
  and responsibilities
- Education support consistent with the company’s policy, stated prior to hire, to 
  supplement support available through a mini-GI bill or other support (e.g. grade-based 
  tuition reimbursement, schedule flexibility)
- Relocation support consistent with the company’s policy, stated prior to hire, to
  supplement final move granted to separating military personnel
- Priority consideration for a full-time position upon completion of degree, based on
  satisfactory job and academic performance

Summary of America’s Veterans to Tennessee Engineers Program
America's Veterans to Tennessee Engineers is a community-sponsored program for military members completing their service to our country and interested in becoming Nuclear, Chemical, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineers.  The program supports veterans that are using their GI Bill benefits to complete their Engineering degrees and will provide them a guaranteed job upon graduation.  In addition, the community and corporate sponsors offer part time employment, community sponsors, and academic mentors. 

The pilot program began January 2009 and consisted of ten participating companies. Currently, participating agencies include B&W Y-12 Security Complex, Tennessee Valley Authority, B&W Clinch River, Oak Ridge National Lab, Energy Solutions, Science Applications International Corporation, Pro2Serve, Bechtel Construction, GEM Technologies, Information International Associates, EnergX, Tetra Tech, U.S. Enrichment Corporation, Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Ingenium Professional Services, and URS Corporation.  The program recently selected an additional 9 veterans, bringing their total to 30 participants as of 2010.

Qualifications

Benefits

 
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